奇人KIJIN
by obasan45
Summary: Reishin/Kijin. Warnings: Yaoi. Summary : Despite an unfortunate first meeting, Reishin and Kijin forge a close, though unconventional, friendship. Seven chapters in total. Time-fit: almost two decades before the anime.
1. Unconventional Friendship

**Title : ****奇人****KI-JIN I (Unconventional Friendship)**

**Disclaimer : ****I don't own Saiunkoku Monogatari. It belongs to Sai Yukino.**

**Rating : T **

**Genre : Friendship/Humour**

**Warnings : ****Yaoi**

**Pairing :** **Reishin/Kijin**

**Summary : Despite an unfortunate first meeting, Reishin and Kijin forge a close, though unconventional, friendship.**

**Notes : **

**(1) Set one week into their stint as scholars staying in the palace hostel.  
(2) ****This was written in response to the LJ Saiun_Challenge prompt "Unconventional"**

**PLEASE REVIEW. EVEN IF YOU ARE NOT A MEMBER, I APPRECIATE YOUR NOT-LOGGED-IN COMMENTS (MY RESPONSE WILL BE ON THE REVIEW PAGE IF I CAN'T SEND YOU A PM).**

**Dedication : ****奇人****KI-JIN is dedicated to alabirdie. Hang in there!**

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_Was I too harsh?  
_Reishin stared, unseeing, at the text on his desk. He was beginning to feel bad about his choice of words for the telling-off.  
_Kijin . . . no, no, what's his name?  
_The trouble with giving nicknames was that one ended up forgetting the person's _real _name!  
_Whatever! HE looked so hurt. And who wouldn't be, after being told "Keep yourself and your erections away from me! You freaking ki-jin!"  
_No, it wasn't fair to have said that to . . .  
_Houju! That's his name!_

Reishin was one of those people for whom waking up was a long-drawn and un-coordinated affair. That had never been an issue until he started living dormitory style in the palace student hostel. In all of his life, Reishin had no need to negotiate tight spaces in his semi-awake state. But here, the space between the hostel beds was barely two feet. That morning, Reishin had stubbed his toe against the adjacent bed, lost his balance, keeled forward, and ended up with his right hand landing squarely on Houju's throbbing crotch.

THAT woke him up, instantaneously. Reishin blushed in recollection.  
_It IS his fault! He watches me all the time. That's why he chose the bed adjacent to mine. Does he think I don't know? With his knees raised, does he think he's hiding his arousal beneath the blanket? I don't need to see what's between his legs to know. I can see it in the darkening of his eyes, in the tightness around his mouth, in the sheen of sweat on his upper lip. The pervert! He must be getting off watching me wake up when THAT happened!_

Reishin squirmed in his classroom seat. He was a fair-minded person, and he knew it really wasn't Houju's fault. He was, after all, lying in bed minding his own erection, when Reishin grabbed his crotch, and on top of that, shouted those embarrassing words loudly enough for all the students to turn around and stare.  
_It's NOT my fault! Those unfortunate words are the result of that pervert's first-ever utterance to me! How am I supposed to ever forget his "I'm having an erection!" greeting? I was right to call him Ki-jin.__He's a weirdo, no doubt about it!_

Tap tap tap.

Reishin looked up, collecting his thoughts. Three taps. That means an announcement. He looked to the front of the classroom. Official Ro, holding a sheet of paper, was waiting for the class to be quiet.

"I have here a letter from a student, Ko Houju, to inform us that he has had his name officially changed, and would like us to address him by his new name henceforth. His new name is Ko Kijin. Kijin, will you please stand, so that the students will know you."

Amid the uproar, Kijin calmly stood up, took a bow, and sat down. The uproar, of course, was because Reishin's utterance that morning had already made its rounds in the gossip mill.

Reishin was hot and cold, all at the same time.  
_Is he insane? Hasn't he endured enough humiliation?_

* * *

Towelling dry his hair, Reishin came to a decision. He needed to have a talk with Houj . . . Kijin. And as always, he knew that Kijin was just outside the bath-house. Unobtrusively standing guard for him, un-asked for, and un-thanked. Kijin had noticed Reishin's middle-of-the-night bath routine on the very first night in the hostel.

Just as he was about to open the door and call out to Kijin, Reishin noted how he must look, with his hair damp and down his back, and with a single-layer robe the only barrier against _those _eyes.  
_Oh, what's the difference? He gets aroused no matter what I'm wearing!  
_Reishin called out to Kijin to come into the bath-house.

Reishin was pleased. Exactly what with, he needed time to sort out. It could be the fact that after the first open, unguarded look, Kijin had studiously averted his eyes, keeping his flushed face in profile. Or it could be that first open, unguarded look that pleased Reishin.

Reishin noted with amusement that Kijin was taking an inordinate amount of care arranging himself on the wooden bench of the bath-house. He waited till Kijin was settled before speaking.  
"Kijin, I want to talk to you about the letter you left on my bed earlier tonight. AND about your change of name, AND about a whole host of things!"

Reishin stopped short. He realized that he wasn't getting off onto a very good start. And the next thing he did was to make it worse.

"What do you WANT from me? No, wait! Don't say it, I know what you want! But I don't know how to respond to that. Your very out-front lust frightens me, but I don't want to ask you to go to hell either, because you intrigue me. And I'm sorry to have humiliated you this morning. And I don't know what to think of your letter. I've never known anyone who had his first erection at the age of eighteen! And I certainly don't know what to feel about being the one responsible for your overdue sexual awakening!"  
Reishin stopped, gasping.

Kijin waited. Finally he broke the silence.  
"Reishin, we both know what I want, but I'm not asking to be your lover. Well, not _yet_, anyway."  
He grinned sheepishly.  
"I just want a chance for you to get to know me, before you make up your mind to shoo me away. I know that I come across as a pervert. But, really, Reishin, I swear there's more to me than a throbbing cock!"

Reishin laughed. He was delighted. Already he's seeing something of the fascinating man behind the uh, throbbing cock. That reminded him - he glanced at Kijin's face. Sure enough, the eyes were dark, the mouth tight, the upper lip glistening. Reishin laughed again, resigning himself to it.  
_I guess it's a package deal.  
__Indeed it is, the package comes with the man!  
_Reishin, his hazel eyes alight, wondered if he should say that last thought out loud.

Watching Reishin closely for his response, Kijin was both mesmerized and apprehensive when he saw the evil glint in those beautiful eyes. He was both relieved and disappointed when the eyes stopped dancing.

"Alright then, Ko Kijin, here's the deal. Friends it is. I will give you an answer as to whether I want to take it to the next level before the end of our stint in the hostel. At that point, you can decide if you still want to be my friend if I should reject you. No hard feelings on either end. Is that fair enough?"

"More than fair. No hard feelings. And I promise I'll try to keep a tighter rein on my libido."  
Kijin laughed.

Reishin realized this was the first time he heard Kijin laugh. It was a very nice laugh. It made him feel warm. He hoped to hear it more often. He looked at his new friend speculatively.  
"I've never had a friend before, Kijin, so I'm not sure about this. But certainly, the situation we're in is exceptional. What I'm trying to say is, although it is highly unconventional, can we set some ground rules? Do you mind?"

"No, I don't mind. In fact, I like the idea. I've already got the first question : Am I allowed to tell you that you are beautiful?"

Reishin looked at Kijin sharply. Seeing his open expression, Reishin relaxed.  
"Granted, but only once a day, AND that question counts as one, so no more until tomorrow!"

They both laughed.

"My turn. You are not to touch me on any part of my body."

Kijin sat up straighter, in protest.  
"That's an unfair insinuation! I've never touched you. The first time we touched, you fell on top of me. The second time, you grabbed my crotch. I want you to rephrase that condition."

Reishin held up his hands, palms towards Kijin.  
"Accepted. My apologies. No touching on any part of _anybody's _body. Satisfied?"

Kijin nodded.  
"Is sex an acceptable topic of conversation?"

His brows practically touching his hairline, Reishin nevertheless nodded.  
"Within limits, yes. I'll tell you when I feel you're off-limits, deal?"

Kijin smiled.  
"Deal. I can't think of anything else. Can we keep it open, and make the other ground rules as we go along?"

"My thoughts exactly. How do you want to seal this contract? No blood oaths, please!"

Kijin laughed.  
"I'm not into blood-letting, either."  
He grinned.  
"How about we hug on it?"

Reishin looked at his new friend levelly.  
_Is he daring me?  
_"Brilliant idea. An off-limits gesture to seal an unconventional friendship."  
Reishin stood up, and held his arms wide open.

Kijin felt the heat spreading all over his face and body. All this while he had been sitting such that his thigh hid the view of his arousal from Reishin. To stand up would be to expose himself. To _hug _Reishin . . .

"It's alright, Kijin. That erection that you are trying to hide is also very much a part of our unconventional friendship. To include it as part of the hug is to acknowledge its existence. In a warped sort of way, I think that is totally appropriate."  
He smiled reassuringly at the flustered Kijin.  
"Come here. Let's hug on it."

The moment Kijin's arms wrapped around him, Reishin knew, too late, that it was a bad idea. He felt Kijin's body go rigid, heard the sharp intake of breath, and moments later, felt the hot wetness. He had not expected Kijin to have so little control. He had forgotten that it was only one week from the day of Kijin's first ever erection. He had forgotten that this grown man was sexually no different from a boy just into puberty. Reishin's heart went out to the man in his arms.  
_It is my fault. Now how am I going to lessen his humiliation?_

Reishin held on to the now sinking Kijin, whispering in his ear.  
"Hush, it's alright. I was the same way when I was thirteen. It took some time to learn control. It's alright, Kijin, it's my fault for not remembering your unique situation."

Kijin made a strange throaty noise.  
"Thirteen? Good grief! I'm five years behind! I'm going to need a crash course!"

In the process of disengaging himself from Reishin's embrace, Kijin decided that he was privileged to be Reishin's friend, and that he would not give up that friendship even if Reishin rejected him as a lover. Kijin managed to look directly into Reishin's eyes, grinning through his embarrassment.  
"By the way, Reishin, do friends teach such crash courses?"

Looking at Kijin, Reishin knew, right there and then, what his answer would be at the end of their stint in the hostel. But he was not telling, not yet. Just like he was not telling Kijin that the physical attraction had always been mutual, right from the moment when he fell on top of Kijin on their first day as interns. He was not telling, because he wanted a period of friendship before they became lovers. It might be an unconventional friendship, but Reishin knew it was going to be a great one.

**[The End]**

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Notes:

**Reishin and Kijin's first meeting, when Reishin fell on top of Kijin, is described in chapter 7 of my fanfic Twin Irises. So too, Kijin's very unfortunate first-ever utterance to Reishin :- "I'm having an erection".**


	2. Undiscovered Territory

**Title : ****奇人****KI-JIN II (Undiscovered Territory)**

**Disclaimer : ****I don't own Saiunkoku Monogatari. It belongs to Sai Yukino.**

**Rating : M **

**Genre : Friendship/Humour **

**Warnings : ****Yaoi**

**Pairing :** **Reishin/Kijin**

**Summary : Things heat up in the unconventional friendship between Reishin and Kijin after Reishin sprains his wrist in a fight to maintain Kijin's "face".**

**Notes : **

**(1) Set about two weeks before the end of Reishin and Kijin's stint in the palace student hostel.  
****(2) This was written in response to the LJ Saiun_Challenge prompt "Undiscovered Territory"**

**PLEASE REVIEW. EVEN IF YOU ARE NOT A MEMBER, I APPRECIATE YOUR NOT-LOGGED-IN COMMENTS (MY RESPONSE WILL BE ON THE REVIEW PAGE IF I CAN'T SEND YOU A PM).**

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"WHAT?"  
Irritated, Reishin stopped in his bandaging, to glare at Kijin.  
"If you have something to say, then say it. Don't just sit there staring at me."

"It's just that you were awesome. I never ever imagined that you would come out the better of the two in a scuffle."  
Kijin paused.  
"And also . . . why are you angry at me, Reishin?"

"You really don't know?"

"Because I interfered?"

"More than that."

"More . . . "  
Kijin's voice trailed off abjectly.

Looking at Kijin's expression, Reishin _had _to laugh.  
"Come here. I changed my mind. You can help bandage my hand."

Reishin looked on as Kijin expertly bound his hand.  
_That furrowed brow is just adorable.  
__Whatever am I going to DO with you, my beautiful Kijin?  
_"Kijin, I already accepted his apology. How can you ignore that and challenge him?"

"How can you accept his apology? Even if he did slip and grab you to stop his fall, everyone present saw his right hand _grope _your bum before he released you! Couldn't you feel it?"

"Of course I did! That was what his apology was _for. _You didn't hear the apology, Kijin, I did."

"WHAT? You forgave him for groping you? Reishin!"

"Don't you Reishin me, Ko Kijin! I make my own decisions! You don't own me, not now, not ever!"

Kijin flushed, and then paled. He got up and walked out of the infirmary.

* * *

Frustrated after a few futile attempts, Reishin gave up trying to use the chopsticks in the normal way, with his left hand. He dropped one chopstick on the table, adjusted the remainder chopstick, holding it in his fist, and skewered the chive dumpling. Tilting the single chopstick to prevent the dumpling from sliding off , he lifted the dumpling off the plate precariously, bringing it towards his mouth. Its passage was intercepted by a pair of expertly held chopsticks in Kijin's elegant left hand.

Reishin glared at Kijin.  
"Stop showing off. I already know you are ambidextrous. Let GO!"

Kijin slid the dumpling off the skewer easily. He brought his chopsticks to Reishin's mouth, with the dumpling tickling Reishin's lips.  
"Ahhhhh . . . "

Reishin clamped his lips together tightly. His hazel eyes smouldered.

Kijin leaned in closer and whispered.  
"If you refuse to cooperate, I will force feed you, mouth-to-mouth."

Opening his lips a slit, Reishin hissed.  
"You wouldn't dare!"

Kijin's eyes glinted.  
"Try me."

Reishin swallowed. He opened his mouth. He ate the dumpling. And in this fashion Reishin was fed his dinner. Sipping his tea, Reishin wondered who was going to give in and break the silence.

"You are right, I don't own you, not now, and not even if we should become lovers."  
Kijin smiled uncertainly at Reishin.  
"Reishin, I'm sorry."

At that moment, Reishin really really wanted to hug Kijin. He would gladly have ignored his own ground rule of "no touching". But they were in the mess hall, and Reishin could feel eyes on them. He did the next best thing.

Kijin dropped his cup of tea. Fortunately it was practically empty.  
"Reishin! What are you _doing_?"

"Stop twitching. I just wanted to touch you."

"BUT! "

"I know. I want to move that we dissolve all ground rules. Are you in agreement?"

"How can I not be in agreement when you are stroking my _thigh_!"

Reishin withdrew his left hand.  
"Three reasons for doing away with the rules. One, I totally trust you. Two, I think you need some relief. Three . . . "  
Reishin blushed.  
" . . . I need your help to bathe tonight."

Kijin was speechless. His face was red all over, and the veins were throbbing at his temples.

"Kijin, do you want to change the topic?"

Kijin nodded mutely.

"Do you know why I had to fight him?"

"No. I was meaning to ask you that, but we got into quarrelling instead."

"I had to stop you from fighting him, Kijin. You were out of control, and I was seriously afraid that you would at least maim him. But I couldn't just do that alone. That would make you lose face. So the only way out was for me to fight him in your place."

Kijin smiled, bemused.  
"You know, Reishin, I never imagined that you would end up protecting me. It feels kind of nice. Who taught you those moves? They were brilliantly customized. An untrained eye would never pick out the truth that those moves were all that you knew."

Reishin laughed.  
"It couldn't fool you, of course. My elder brother customized them for me."

"The same elder brother that advised you to take your bath in the privacy of the night?"  
At the thought of Reishin's bath, Kijin went red again.

"Want to change the topic, again?"

Kijin nodded, grinning sheepishly.

"Right. Kijin, I accepted his apology because I thought of you."

Kijin raised his brows in a mute question.

"He said he had always had a thing for my bum, and when he found his hand on it after he fell, he gave in to the impulse. I thought of you because I can feel your eyes lingering on my bum at every opportunity. Somehow, the fact that he shared the same affliction as you," Reishin smiled, "made it forgivable. Does this make you feel better?"

He took one look at Kijin's face and laughed.  
"Or maybe worse!"

"In any case, tonight, my dear Kijin, you will get to see my bum in all its naked glory!"

* * *

"Reishin, how are we going to do this without me getting carried away?"

_Ohhhhh . . . there's that cute frown again!  
_Reishin touched his fingers lightly to Kijin's forehead.

Kijin started.  
"Stop stroking me! It's not helping matters!"

Reishin laughed.  
"This is how I see it, Kijin. Your getting aroused is a given. I mean, you can get hard just watching me eat, for goodness' sake! And now, you are about to help me bathe. So, my suggestion is we get THAT over and done with first, before the bath commences. What do you think?"

_What do I THINK?  
__What do I think about having my most intimate bodily response discussed in so business-like a fashion?  
__What do I think about the man I love perfunctorily talking about getting my erection and orgasm "over and done with"?_!  
Kijin was torn between wanting to laugh and wanting to cry.

Associating with Reishin was a totally novel experience in his life. He sometimes wondered if Reishin could be considered sane at all! He never knew what's coming out at him when he rounded a corner. It felt like he was in undiscovered territory, where no man has ever set foot on. What came with the territory were revelations that were sometimes alarming, sometimes almost unbearably sweet, and all of the time highly stimulating. The only thing Kijin was certain of was that he didn't want to be anywhere else. This undiscovered, unpredictable, untamed and unendingly fascinating Reishin-territory was where he belonged.

When he spoke, his voice was hoarse.  
"And are you planning to help me with THAT?"

"Not directly, but I believe this should help."  
So saying, Reishin faced his back to Kijin. He hiked up his white uniform, dropped his underpants, and bent over the waist-high wooden bench, presenting his snow white, voluptuous and very beautiful buttocks.

"With the single exception of actual penetration, Kijin, you can do anything you want. It's alright, I don't mind. After all, I'm going to be taking a bath after this. And I'm quite comfortable, so you don't need to hurry."

_This is insane! I'm not going to do this!  
_Kijin's body, however, was already responding to the stimulus.

Reishin had never been touched by any hands other than his own. The sensation of those sword-calloused fingers tracing over his skin was enough to arouse him. He pressed his thighs together so that Kijin couldn't see between them, couldn't see the changes taking place in his hanging package. And when Kijin throbbed against him, Reishin struggled to stop himself from using his own hand. He was grateful that his hand of choice was sprained and bandaged, and he'd never used his left hand to do the job before. That irrelevant thought helped a little to reduce the pressure building up in him.

And then it was over. Reishin felt the hot liquid spray over his buttocks, heard Kijin's cry of release. Kijin's voice had always been deep, and Reishin already knew the strange pleasure he derived from Kijin's laughter, letting the warm, deep tones wash over him. But _this, _this guttural, raw cry was pitched even lower. It reverberated through every cell of Reishin's body. Reishin trembled. His body was screaming for release.  
_NO! Dammit, I'm not going to come like this!_

Fortunately for him, Kijin's recovery was slow. He slumped over, his deadweight pressing down on his friend. By the time Kijin came around, Reishin was fully under control.

Reishin was exhausted. Mind over matter had never seen such an epic battle in his person. And he had always prided himself on his self-control. Rousing himself, Reishin steeled himself for what's coming next – Kijin's reaction to the network of scars on his back. Reishin started to undress.

"Do you need help?"  
Kijin's voice was still thick, and he was leaning heavily on the wooden bench.

Reishin waited, his back to Kijin. It was not unexpected, the complete silence behind him. The scars were so extensive as to be almost disfiguring.

What's unexpected, were Kijin's trembling hands on his shoulders, Kijin's body pressing up against his back, Kijin's face nuzzling in his hair, Kijin's hot tears falling on the back of his neck.

[Time lapse]

Reishin was docile, letting Kijin towel dry his hair. Kijin was also subdued. The intensity of the bath had taken a toll on both of them.

Kijin's role had been just to ladle the water from the huge ceramic urns and pour it over Reishin. A lot more happened. Probably because Kijin had insisted on helping to rinse off the suds. And certainly because Kijin's drenched white silk pants revealed to Reishin, in long curves and intimate details, the failure of his plan to get THAT over and done with. The result was that Reishin, rinsed and ready to be dried, and despite his steely self-control, ended up spraying all over himself, and needed to take another bath. And Kijin of course came again, albeit still in his wet pants.

His face temporarily smothered by the towel in Kijin's hands, Reishin wondered if he should forgo bathing for the next two days or so, until he had full use of his right hand. Bathing this way was just too exhausting, mentally, emotionally, and physically. Not to mention humiliating!

Reishin blushed beneath the towel.  
_Blast_ _Kijin_.  
_Blast his wandering calloused hands.  
__Blast that beautiful monster he has in his pants!_

One thing Reishin was certain of - the moment his wrist was well, he was going to end this friendship thing. He was _dying _for them to become proper lovers. But he wanted to have TWO functional hands to meet that monster!

Kijin put down the towel. He picked up the comb and tentatively ran it through the silky moss-green hair, waiting for Reishin to stop him. Reishin stirred, but said nothing. Kijin was elated. He had watched with secret yearning as Reishin combed out his hair every night after his bath. He ran the comb through again, this time with more confidence. He knew his friend well enough to know that a privilege, once given, was never rescinded.  
_That means, I get to comb his hair every night!_

For some strange reason, combing Reishin's hair felt so right. Kijin laughed at himself. He was seriously besotted. Every fibre of his being ached to be Reishin's lover. But this strange relationship that they had, not lovers, but not a platonic friendship either, had its moments too.

Kijin flushed in recollection of that "moment" of jerking off against Reishin's buttocks. After the hot humiliation cum pleasure had subsided, the realization slowly sank in of the immense trust Reishin placed in him. Reishin was totally defenseless, bent over and exposed. Reishin not only trusted that Kijin will not rape him, he also trusted in Kijin's self-control. The hot flush had now reduced to a warm glow. A very pleasant warm glow.

All in, Kijin was content to be in Reishin-territory. He glanced down at his beautiful and unconventional love. Eyes closed, giving in to the pleasure of having his hair combed by Kijin, Reishin was almost purring.

**[The End]**

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Notes:

**(1) The story behind the scars on Reishin's back is told in Brother Shoka.  
**

**(2) From the time I read Myaru's fic "Call Me Uncle", I've been mesmerized by the visual of Kijin combing out Reishin's hair! ^_^  
****What goes round and round in the head will eventually come out, I guess, so now it finally did!  
****If you are reading this, Myaru, thanks!**


	3. The Test

**Title : ****奇人****KI-JIN III (The Test)**

**Disclaimer : ****I do not own Saiunkoku Monogatari. It belongs to Sai Yukino.**

**Rating : ****T for theme only**

**Warnings : ****Yaoi, but no action takes place**

**Pairing : ****Reishin/Kijin**

**Summary : ****Reishin and Kijin, as fellow students, are fast friends. In Reishin's words, "three meals a day and every minute together, adjacent hostel beds, and hip to hip in the lavatory". Will The Test change their relationship? **

**Notes : **

**(1) This was originally posted as a one-shot story. I'm re-posting it here, as part III of Ki-Jin. Please read it for contnuity! Or, if you prefer, skip to Ki-Jin IV.  
(2) ****This was written in response to the LJ Saiun_Challenge prompt "Endurance and Strength"**

**PLEASE REVIEW. EVEN IF YOU ARE NOT A MEMBER, I APPRECIATE YOUR NOT-LOGGED-IN COMMENTS (MY RESPONSE WILL BE ON THE REVIEW PAGE IF I CAN'T SEND YOU A PM).**

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"A TEST?"

All the students in the Archives turned around to look at the young man who had just jumped up from his seat. Almost in slow-motion, the chair teetered, and fell over with a crash. The young man flushed a deep crimson; made all the more obvious by his alabaster complexion and raven black hair.

The murmurs started.  
"Who's that?"  
"What's happening?"  
"Is that the weirdo?"  
"Who?"  
"Haven't you heard?"  
"Is he the one who had his name changed to K-I-J-I-N?"  
"Oh, him! Pity, he's so beautiful!"  
"So what if he is, he's weird."  
"Even if he's not weird, he's out of circulation."  
"Really? Why?"  
"Don't you know?"  
"Nah, he wouldn't know, he never notices anything!"  
"Notice what?"  
"That the weirdo is spoken for."  
"Really? Who wants a weirdo?"  
"Reishin."  
"Yeah, the equally beautiful Reishin."  
"What do you expect? The beautiful always stick together."  
"Who's Reishin?"  
"That guy sitting at the same table as him."

That guy cleared his throat and spoke in a voice just loud enough to carry throughout the Archives.  
"Yes, the test on the Four Classics next week. How is it you do not know about it, Kijin?"  
As he spoke, he got up from his own chair, picked up Kijin's fallen chair, set it right, and placing his hands on Kijin's shoulders, forced him down into it. Walking past Kijin to get to his own seat, he hissed into Kijin's ear.  
"We'll talk about this later."

* * *

"So you don't want to take the test?"  
Reishin turned to look at Kijin.

Kijin stopped breathing.

The golden evening light picked out the warm hazel of Reishin's eyes, making them glow with an unearthly, or rather, a VERY earthly, seductiveness.  
"No! Yes! Dammit, Reishin, since when do people have to take a test to qualify as a lover?"

Reishin shrugged.  
"It's up to you."

"And what if I fail? Can we still be the way we are now?"

Reishin smiled.  
"Yes, exactly the way we are now, three meals a day and every minute together, adjacent hostel beds, hip to hip in the lavatory. Nothing will change. The only real difference is … sex."  
Reishin lingered over the last word, stretching it out, caressing it.

Kijin capitulated.  
"Alright, I'll bite. What qualities are you testing for?"

"Endurance and Strength."

A flush spread across Kijin's features. Into his hairline. To his ears. Down his neck.

"Do you think you are purchasing a horse?  
Are you going to check out my teeth next?"

Reishin raised one fine brow.  
"I DO need you to go the whole distance, you know."  
He smirked.  
"As for checking out, I already did, in the bath-house. You passed, by a very wide margin."

Kijin struggled.  
_I'm going to KILL him!  
Until this moment, I've never been properly grateful to be born well-endowed.  
What am I thinking? STOP! STOP!  
I refuse to be put through such humiliation!  
I don't care!  
I WANT him!_

Close to tears, Kijin's voice cracked.  
"What do I have to do?"

Reishin looked at Kijin for a long moment.  
"Do you know what to do?"

"Huh?"

"We're both virgins. It's your job to find out what to do."

Kijin blinked. Twice.  
"What about the test?"

"You passed."  
Reishin put his hands on Kijin's muscled waist.  
"Strength, you have more than enough."  
Reishin drew Kijin in close. All that separated them were four layers of fine silk. Kijin gasped at the contact.  
"Endurance. Well … I think you have endured enough."

Reishin brushed his lips lightly against Kijin's.  
"Until you find out what to do, we'll just have to make do with kisses."  
Their lips touched, tentatively, exploring their new status as lovers.

**[The End]**


	4. A Light In The Dark

**Title : ****奇人****KI-JIN IV (****A Light In The Dark)**

**Disclaimer :** **I don't own Saiunkoku Monogatari. It belongs to Sai Yukino.**

**Rating : M **

**Genre : Romance/Humour**

**Warnings : ****Yaoi**

**Pairing :** **Reishin/Kijin**

**Summary : The night they became lovers.**

**Notes : **

**(1) Set one week after The Test.  
****(2) This was written in response to the LJ Saiun_Challenge prompt "A Light In The Dark"**

**PLEASE REVIEW. EVEN IF YOU ARE NOT A MEMBER, I APPRECIATE YOUR NOT-LOGGED-IN COMMENTS (MY RESPONSE WILL BE ON THE REVIEW PAGE IF I CAN'T SEND YOU A PM).**

* * *

His heart pounding, Reishin pressed his face into Kijin's shoulder, partly to stifle the scream that was threatening to break forth. He had never been carried before, not as an adult. And certainly, he had never been carried by someone who was leaping over a garden wall! The jump from the ground to the tiled roof of the wall was exciting, no, exhilarating. But this was . . . Reishin's stomach lunged. He clung onto Kijin, his fingers dug deep into Kijin's back.

The landing was surprisingly cushioned. Even in the state he was in, Reishin was impressed. He knew that Kijin was skilled in the martial arts, but this was his first encounter with this aspect of his almost-lover.

"Are you alright?"  
Kijin whispered.

Reishin nodded. He could barely make out Kijin's features in the dim moonlight. Kijin grunted, shifted his precious load, and made his way silently through the compound. He was sure-footed and swift, and Reishin felt so safe in his arms.

_Safe?  
_Reishin laughed silently.  
_That's a good one! How is it SAFE, when it appears that we are trespassing?  
I must have been mad to have agreed to Kijin's "Ask No Questions Adventure"!_

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

It was pitch black. The windows of the room were shut, cutting out the moonlight. Reishin heard the rustling sound of Kijin moving about, followed by the sound of a match.

In the light cast by the single candle, Reishin surveyed the room. Dustsheets covered the chairs, the table, the sideboard, the bed. Reishin raised his brows in a silent question.

Kijin smiled, and took from his shirt a crumpled piece of paper, handing it to Reishin.  
"Open it."

The scarlet ear-studs sparkled in the light of the candle. Reishin was about to pick up the ear-studs when the writing on the crumpled paper caught his eye. He shook the ear-studs into his palm, and with the other hand, smoothed out the crumpled sheet of paper.

"Kijin!"  
The hand holding the title deeds shook. Reishin stared at his not-quite-yet-lover.

Seven days. Exactly one week ago Reishin had agreed to becoming lovers. He had assigned Kijin the job to find out what to do, as they were both inexperienced.  
Seven days. Reishin had waited, impatient with the tentative kisses. He started wondering if Kijin had lost his nerve. But he was too proud to initiate anything more intimate.  
Seven days. In just seven days Kijin had _bought _a manor!

Kijin, of course, was of the Ko clan, the clan in control of commerce, so having ready money at his disposal was not unexpected. What was unexpected was Kijin's readiness to commit. It was one thing for a young man to have a same-sex affair, no one will think anything of it. But to set up house with another man! And at the young age of eighteen!

In the flickering candlelight, Reishin studied Kijin's face. He wanted to burn that expression into his memory.

Kijin felt the heat spreading across his face under Reishin's scrutiny.  
_Did I make a mistake? Is he not ready for this?_ _How are we going to get out of this awkward situation?_

"So, Reishin, what do you think? It's fully furnished. Just needs servants and a spring-cleaning. I figured this is better than losing my virginity in a hired room in Koga House."  
The flippant tone was in direct contrast to the deep flush on Kijin's face.

_Is this how Kijin wants to play it? Very well, then.  
_Reishin nonchalantly put down the title deeds, and placed the ear-studs on it. He arched his fine brows.  
"I agree with the proposition. But would that mean another seven-day wait? I was rather expecting to lose my virginity tonight."

Ignoring Kijin's laboured breathing, Reishin coolly strolled to the bed and lifted one corner of the dustsheet gingerly. He crinkled his nose delicately.  
"Not even a naked mattress. Really, Kijin, you are too amiss."

Reishin shrugged one shoulder.  
"But, from all that I have heard, once one is in the mood, even a filthy public lavatory would suffice."

He turned to face a sweating Kijin. He smiled, half-mockingly, and half-seductively.  
"So, get me in the mood, Ko Kijin, and I will let you take me on the bare wooden bed."

Kijin struggled. His chest, and his pants, felt constricted.  
_Why is Reishin doing this? He must know I didn't intend it this way, surrounded by dustsheets, without a mattress. Most importantly, without oils.  
Wait a minute. Maybe he really doesn't know. After all, I didn't know until I was tasked by him to find out how to do it._

"Reishin."  
Pause.  
"We can't."  
Pause.  
"No oils."

Reishin's hazel eyes, reflecting the candlelight, glowed, just inches from Kijin's.  
"It's alright. I don't mind."  
Just as he did on the day he agreed to be lovers, Reishin placed his hands on the sides of Kijin's muscled waist and drew him in, close, all the while keeping his eyes locked on Kijin's.

Kijin saw, in the golden eyes, raw lust, and some other need. He didn't understand what that other need was, but at that point, throbbing against each other, Kijin was too preoccupied to give it much thought.

His heart pounding, Reishin pressed his face into Kijin's shoulder, partly to stifle the scream that was threatening to break forth. He clung onto Kijin, his fingers dug deep into Kijin's back.

"Reishin, are you alright?"  
Kijin whispered.

Reishin nodded. With his hands, he stilled Kijin. They remained frozen, suspended in time. The pain heightened all of Reishin's senses. He felt the trickle of wetness flowing down his thigh. He smelt the unmistakable metallic scent of blood. He sighed softly, smiling, his psychological need to bleed fulfilled.  
_Not tonight, my Kijin. But someday I will tell you why I need to lose my virginity this way._

Reishin lifted his staying hands off Kijin's back. When his hands touched Kijin again, they were caressing hands, coaxing hands. Kijin started to move. Giving in to the increasingly pleasurable sensations, Reishin's last coherent thought was that the candlelight made their nude bodies glow, like an island of light in the surrounding darkness.

* * *

"What's so amusing?"  
Kijin finally asked the question, after a long time watching Reishin watch him with a smile on his face. He wouldn't mind not asking the question at all, actually, he was so enjoying the sight of Reishin smiling in the moonlight.

"Do you know what's an 'after-sex' expression? You've got a _serious _case of it! How are we going to go back to the hostel with your face like that?"

Kijin laughed.  
"No, I don't know what an 'after-sex' expression looks like. Let me examine _your_ face."

He reached forward. Reishin backed away to avoid having his face caught, and lost his balance. Kijin moved and caught Reishin.  
"Reishin! You can't move like that when you're on the roof!"  
Kijin positioned himself next to Reishin and put his arm round Reishin's waist.  
"Like it or not, I'm holding on to you."

They looked down at their hostel mates in the courtyard.

"Kijin, what did you call me?"

"Huh?"

"When you came. Did you say 'dumpling'?"

"Oh. Did I say that out loud?"  
Kijin chuckled.

"Uh-huh. Does it mean what I think it means?"

Kijin answered by moving his hand from Reishin's waist to grope his bum.  
"You don't mind, do you?"

"No at all. They _were _your first sexual experience, after all!"  
Reishin laughed. He leaned his head on Kijin's shoulder.  
"I don't have a new name for you, just a new interpretation."

"Interpretation?"

"Ki also means rare. Ki-jin can also mean a rare person. And that's what you are, a rare find."

The rare find was silent for a long moment.

"You DO know, don't you, Dumpling, that you can't get away with saying things like that without getting kissed?"

Reishin brushed his lips against Kijin's, and quickly pulled away.  
"That's all you get. Stop it! We're sitting on the roof ! To cool off before we get back to the dormitory!"

He struggled against Kijin.  
"What if someone looks up? Kijin!"

"We're in black clothes, against a dark sky. No one can see us. Stay still."

What Kijin forgot, of course, was that their fair faces, pressed together, glowed in the moonlight against the dark backdrop.

**[The End]**

**

* * *

**

Notes:

**The word ****奇 ****in Mandarin (qi) means both "strange/queer" as well as "rare".**

**Unfortunately, I'm not able to confirm if the same word, in kanji (ki), has the same duality of meaning. The two Japanese dictionaries I have must be too basic !**

**Uh, does anyone out there know? ^_^**


	5. Hot Summer Nights

**Title : ****奇人****KI-JIN V (****Hot Summer Nights)**

**Disclaimer :**** I don't own Saiunkoku Monogatari. It belongs to Sai Yukino.**

**Rating : ****M**

**Genre : ****Humour/Friendship**

**Warnings : ****Yaoi**

**Pairing :** **Reishin/Kijin**

**Summary : ****In between romps in bed, Kijin discovers that Reishin trusts him implicitly, and yet at the same time, not enough.**

**Notes : **

**(1) Set a little less than a week after A Light in the Dark.  
****(2) This was written in response to the LJ Saiun_Challenge prompt "Hot Summer Nights"**

**PLEASE REVIEW. EVEN IF YOU ARE NOT A MEMBER, I APPRECIATE YOUR NOT-LOGGED-IN COMMENTS (MY RESPONSE WILL BE ON THE REVIEW PAGE IF I CAN'T SEND YOU A PM).**

* * *

Reishin felt Kijin's arm catch him around the waist, and together, they rolled to the side of the bed. They lay, as snug as two spoons in a drawer, sweating in the hot summer night, as the spasms subsided. Reishin opened his eyes drowsily, looking at the mess he made in the middle of the bed. He smiled, and closed his eyes again. He must remember to thank Kijin for never allowing him to fall onto his own ejaculate. He smiled again. _IF_ he remembered, that is. In this dreamy post-coitus state, Reishin didn't like to speak, it would spoil the mood. And then he would forget about thanking Kijin altogether. It was a small gesture, and actually totally pointless. After all, in their love-making, their bodily secretions were smeared all over each other, even ingested. But it was a very sweet gesture, and it made Reishin feel precious.

He felt Kijin stir, felt Kijin's kisses on his neck, felt a light nibbling on his earlobe. And then, there was a pause, before Kijin continued with his kisses.

"Kijin."

"Mmmm?"

The kisses had moved down to his shoulder.

"Kijin, what made you pause? What's wrong?"

"It's not important, Dumpling."

"Yes, it is."

"It's just that, well, if you don't like the ear-studs, I can have them exchanged for something else."

"Don't you dare! I love them!"

"But it's been almost a week, and you haven't worn them."

"Look, Kijin, I've got no hole."  
Shifting his weight, Reishin angled his left ear towards his lover. The movement caused Kijin to grunt.

"We're managing nicely nonetheless."  
Kijin thrust a little further in to illustrate his point.

Reishin gasped.  
"Are we starting _again_?"

"Blame it on the hot summer night, Dumpling."

[Time lapse]

Kijin, lying atop Reishin, nuzzled his ear.  
"I know you don't have earring holes, Reishin, but you can have your ears pierced. That is, if you wish to."

Reishin, his face buried in the bedsheet, mumbled.  
"I'm not talking to you until you pull out. I like my conversations uninterrupted."

Chuckling, Kijin rolled off Reishin.  
"You can call it punctuation, Dumpling."

"Very funny, Kijin."

Reishin turned face-up. Kijin slipped his arm beneath Reishin's head.

"It's not that I don't wish to have my ears pierced, I just don't like the idea of being handled by a perfect stranger."

"Handled? But it's just ears!"

"Ears deserve the same respect as any other part of my anatomy, Kijin. And I only want to be handled by you."

Kijin laughed.  
"You trust me that much?"

"Implicitly. If you want to see your gift in my ears, you've got to pierce them yourself."

[Time lapse]

"Alright, Dumpling, ready?"

"Wait! Get me in the mood first, Kijin."

"Mood? Is there such a thing as the right mood for having your ears pierced?"

"It's said that arousal increases the threshold for pain."

Reishin broke off the kiss, gasping.  
"Alright, now I'm ready."  
He sat down on the stool, his talisman against pain arching between his thighs.

Kijin wanted to laugh out loud, but stopped himself for fear that the sound of his laughter would disrupt Reishin's carefully nurtured pain-barrier.  
_Good grief! It's a good thing he didn't want to have this done at a shop!_

He worked fast, sterilizing the sharpened gold post of the ear-stud in the candle flame. Reishin gasped and stiffened, but made no other sound. Kijin attached the clasp to the tip of the gold post. He checked the bleeding.  
_Good. Hardly any blood. I hit the right spot._

Kijin looked on as Reishin examined his reflection in the mirror.  
"Does it please you?"

"Very much."

Reishin turned to Kijin.  
"And you?"

Kijin froze. In the heat of the summer night, he shuddered.  
_Something's not right. Reishin is too tensed.  
__What is it? What am I missing?  
_"I love it. You look gorgeous in them."

"Really? Thank you. Why did you buy me ear-studs, Kijin?"

Kijin started to sweat profusely. Everything about Reishin, his tone, his body language, suggested that a lot hinged on Kijin's reply.  
_What reply does he expect?  
__What reply does he hope to hear?  
__WHY did I buy him ear-studs? Hell, I don't know! I didn't really think about it._

"I don't know. I guess it's because you seem to suit ear-studs. Also, you have beautiful ears. And I wanted to give you something to mark our new life together."

His sweat was making his single-layer robe stick to his skin. Kijin plucked at the material of his silk robe absently as he waited for Reishin's response. As he watched, he saw Reishin let go of his tension.  
_Did he get the reply he wanted?  
__No, he didn't. That almost imperceptible sigh says he didn't.  
__He's just decided to let it pass, whatever it was._

Kijin watched as Reishin got up from his stool, and came to stand in front of him. Reishin's hands travelled over Kijin's front.

"You're wet through. That's bad, even on a summer night."  
The hands proceeded to peel Kijin's robe off his body.

Watching Reishin disrobe, Kijin's body, for the first time ever, didn't respond.  
_I'm sorry, Reishin. Somehow I've disappointed you. I'll work harder to earn your trust._

Kijin embraced Reishin. His hands lightly stroked the scars on Reishin's back. That day in the bath-house, when he had held Reishin and cried at the sight of those scars, Reishin had offered no explanation. Instead, he had drawn Kijin's arms to wrap around his waist, and had comforted Kijin by saying that it was all in the past, that the beatings stopped when he was fourteen.

He drew Reishin in closer and held on to him tightly. Kijin sensed that there's some connection between the ear-studs and those scars. He didn't understand it, but he felt it. He repeated his promise.  
_I promise, Dumpling, I'll earn your trust._

Kijin felt Reishin pull away from him slightly. He looked into Reishin's face. The hazel eyes were warm, but unfathomable. For just a fleeting moment, it seemed to Kijin as though Reishin heard his promise.

Reishin started to kiss Kijin, gently, tenderly. Kijin began to feel Reishin's naked body against his own, to feel Reishin's skin gliding over his own in a film of sweat. His body responded. He gladly gave in to the heat of the summer night.

**[The End]**


	6. White Skin Red Lips

**Title : ****奇人****KI-JIN VI (****White Skin Red Lips)**

**Disclaimer :** **I don't own Saiunkoku Monogatari. It belongs to Sai Yukino.**

**Rating :**** T**

**Genre : Friendship**

**Warnings : ****Yaoi, mild**

**Pairing :** **Reishin/Kijin**

**Summary : ****Kijin fails in his attempt to buy lip-colour.**

**Notes : **

**(1) Reishin and Kijin are just starting their careers in the civil service.  
****(2) This was written in response to the LJ Saiun_Challenge prompt "White Skin Red Lips"**

**PLEASE REVIEW. EVEN IF YOU ARE NOT A MEMBER, I APPRECIATE YOUR NOT-LOGGED-IN COMMENTS (MY RESPONSE WILL BE ON THE REVIEW PAGE IF I CAN'T SEND YOU A PM).**

* * *

Kijin stared at the palette of colours, close to panic. He had asked for red. Very simple, just red. And here he was, faced with twelve different types of red!

The woman, not un-used to men lost in the world of cosmetics, smiled.  
"Young master, what is the skin colour?"

"Very fair. White."

"Ah so. Is that a warm white, or a cool white?"

Kijin felt a headache coming on.  
"What does that even _mean_?"

The woman suggested helpfully.  
"Young master, perhaps if you brought your lady love here …"

"No! That's impossible!"

Kijin massaged his throbbing temples.  
_Yes, impossible. Reishin is NOT a lady!_

"Ah so. Young master intends it to be a surprise?"

_A surprise_?  
_It may very well be a rude shock!  
Oh hell! What am I thinking of?  
This is a bad idea!_

"I've changed my mind."  
Kijin muttered as he left the shop.

The door chimed again. The woman looked up, expecting to see that the panicked beautiful young man had returned. She was wrong, but not disappointed. This young man looked about the same age, and was equally fair in complexion. He was just as beautiful as the first young man, but differently so. The most striking feature was his heavily hooded eyes, accentuated by very fine brows. Silky, naturally arched, the woman noted, itching to pluck the couple of "stray" hairs to make those brows perfect.

The brows lifted slightly.  
"Red lip-colour. For my skin tone."  
The white skin of his cheeks turned a little pink.

* * *

Reishin, his fingertip stained red, tilted the mirror to catch his reflection. He stared at the image staring back at him.

White skin red lips.

**[Flashback]**

**White skin red lips.**

**Reishin was pleased. He no longer looked eleven. He brought his mother's mirror closer, enjoying how his childish features were transformed by his mother's lip-colour.  
**

Examining his reflection, Reishin silently commended the woman at the shop on her brilliant eye for colours. It was the perfect red for him. It set off the white of his complexion, making his already translucent skin luminous.

Reishin watched, strangely detached, as a tear rolled down his cheek.  
_Why am I crying?  
For the beating I received when Father found out about Mother's lip-colour?  
For Mother's tears at how her son turned out?  
For Brother Shoka's unconditional love and protection?  
For the me that was buried all these years?  
For Kijin's love that allows me to be myself again?_

Reishin smiled at himself in the mirror, wiping away the single tear. He still couldn't be totally himself, not in public. Not yet, not until he has established himself. But in private, yes, it's time to trust Kijin and let his true self out.

Reishin marveled at this man called Kijin.  
Or rather, he marveled at this man who calls himself ki-jin.  
This ki-jin who would change his name to prove his love.

He marveled at how Kijin seemed to sense his need. Reishin turned his head from side to side to look at the scarlet studs in his ears. Kijin had given him those ear-studs on the night they consummated their love. Reishin had been surprised.

From his observation, Reishin was of the opinion that only two types of men wear earrings. The first being feminine men. The second was the direct opposite - men who were ultra male and very confident of their masculinity. Reishin was _quite _certain that he did not appear ultra male! And the self that he painstakingly and painfully schooled and presented to the world cannot be said to be effeminate, either.

And yet, Kijin had given him ear-studs. Did Kijin sense the real Reishin behind the façade of a "normal" man? Reishin hadn't been certain then.

_But I'm certain now.  
_Reishin smiled fondly._  
He wanted to buy me lip-colour!  
_Reishin laughed softly._  
The coward chickened out!_

Reishin heard the familiar footfalls of his lover approaching. He pressed his lips lightly together to even out the lip-colour. He took one last look at the mirror. Then he turned to face Kijin.

[Time lapse]

Propping himself up on his elbows, Reishin looked down at his lover. He tittered, reaching out with his hand to wipe off the red smudges on Kijin's lips.

"Don't bother, Dumpling, it's all over me."  
Kijin laughed.

"Kijin, thank you."

"There's no need to. It does turn me on, you know, the white skin red lips."  
So saying, he pulled Reishin towards him.

**[The End]**

**

* * *

**

Notes:

**(1) Reishin's fingertip is stained red because lip-colour comes in little flat jars, and the finger is dipped into the paste, and the colour applied on the lips with the finger.**

**(2) Reishin's childhood of being constantly beaten by his father, and Shoka's role in protecting him, as well as the decision to suppress Reishin's natural mannerisms, are all detailed in my fanfic Brother Shoka.**

**(3)The idea that Reishin's behavior as a young man was different from the drama-mama Reishin we all know came from three flashback scenes in Season 1 of the anime : (a) when Reishin spoke to Bara Hime, with Shurei as a babe in arms, (b) when Reishin dragged Kijin and Yuushun along to peek at the toddler Shurei, (c) when Reishin adopted Koyu. In all these scenes, Reishin behaved like a very "normal" young man, with none of the effeminate mannerisms that he displayed later in life.**

**(4) For those of you who **_**still**_** don't know, "ki-jin" means "weirdo".**

**(5) In a way, this fic is "overdue" in its telling. In chapter 6 of my first fanfic Twin Irises, Kijin told Shuei that he couldn't tell one shade of lip-colour from another. The assumption then, of course, was that in the privacy of their home/bedroom, Reishin wore lip-colour. Now, I've finally picked up on that throwaway line. ^_^**


	7. Liberation

**Title : ****奇人****KI-JIN VII (****Liberation)**

**Disclaimer :** **I don't own Saiunkoku Monogatari. It belongs to Sai Yukino.**

**Rating : M**

**Genre : ****No idea! ^_^**

**Warnings : ****Yaoi**

**Pairing :** **Reishin/Kijin**

**Summary : ****Kijin reflects on the changes that have taken place in Reishin.**

**Notes : **

**(1) Set a little more than two weeks after White Skin Red Lips.  
****(2) This was written in response to the LJ Saiun_Challenge prompt "Liberation" **

**PLEASE REVIEW. EVEN IF YOU ARE NOT A MEMBER, I APPRECIATE YOUR NOT-LOGGED-IN COMMENTS (MY RESPONSE WILL BE ON THE REVIEW PAGE IF I CAN'T SEND YOU A PM).**

* * *

The woman was moving her head, upper body and left hand rhythmically, her face a study in concentration. Between her teeth she held one end of the thread. Kijin's gaze traced the thread, from her mouth, looping through the index and middle finger of her right hand, twisting around, then to the other end of the thread held in her left hand. Her movements were so practiced as to be almost a dance. As she brought her left hand and mouth further apart, the thread twisted upon itself, the twists bunching together near her right hand. When her left hand and mouth came nearer to each other, the twisting motion travelled in the reverse direction.

Kijin marveled at Reishin's composure as the twisting thread ran over his face. Reishin's eyes were closed and he looked relaxed, almost beatific. He did not even flinch as the twisting motion of the thread grabbed and pulled out the fine facial hairs on his cheeks.

It was not that Kijin wasn't aware of this procedure. All well-bred women have their facial hair removed regularly as a part of their beauty regimen. Kijin knew that the women in his family did so too. But such things had never been a part of his world. They exist, but sort of in his peripheral vision. He had no interest to sit and witness a threading before. Even if he had wanted to, he doubted that he would have been allowed to.

This woman, Aunt Chen, as Reishin addressed her, was actually only four years his senior. She was the daughter of a servant. When she was seventeen she started learning the skill of threading from her mother. Reishin had volunteered to be her practice subject, without his parents' knowledge of course.

When Reishin, two weeks before, had decided that he wanted the services of a threading woman, he would have no one but her. He searched for and finally found her. His job offer was too good to refuse. And so she came to Kyo, and became a servant at the Ko Manor.

"Kijin, you want to feel the difference?"

Kijin hesitated. Reishin might be very at ease with this Aunt Chen, but Kijin wasn't sure how he felt about stroking Reishin's face in front of her! With his hand on Reishin's cheek, he stole a glance at her, to gauge her response. Her chin was demurely tucked in, her eyes downcast, as befitting a person in her position, but there was just the hint of a smile on her lips.

_Well_. _Obviously SHE'S not surprised._

That somehow put him at ease. But it didn't last long.

"Threading can be done to remove body hair too. Before I start, Kijin, is there any of my body hair _you _would like retained?"

Kijin jumped and blushed, before he remembered that Aunt Chen was deaf and mute.  
"Uh, why don't you surprise me, Dumpling?"

Retreating to his seat, Kijin watched as Reishin extended his left leg to be powdered. The pearl powder provided friction and was also anti-bacterial in function. He tried to imagine his Dumpling smooth-skinned and hairless.  
_Surely not THERE too!  
__STOP! STOP!  
__That's not a safe thing to dwell on!  
_Forcibly redirecting his thoughts, Kijin did a very deliberate review of the past two weeks.

The lip-colour had opened up a whole new world. To Reishin, painting his lips red was a symbolic gesture of liberation.

That night, they had, for the first time, kissed with the taste of the scented lip-colour on their lips. After that kiss, Reishin had been in a pensive mood.

Reishin related how, at the age of seven, he defied his father by refusing to have his hair dressed in a top-knot. From that point on, the beatings started. Everything he did displeased his father. The beatings became more severe after his father had walked into his wife's rooms, to find the eleven-year-old Reishin wearing his mother's clothes and lip-colour. From then on, Reishin was banned from entering his mother's rooms. Reishin's physical and emotional alienation from his mother had started with the first time he applied lip-colour.

And with the second time he coloured his lips, two weeks ago, the Reishin hidden beneath the orthodox young man was released. Reishin had cried that night. Kijin would never forget that sight of Reishin, clumsily wiping away his tears and smearing his lip-colour onto his right cheek. That was the only time Kijin had seen him cry.

Post-tears, while cradled in Kijin's embrace, Reishin had apologized for ruining Kijin's plan that night when Kijin presented the gift of the ear-studs wrapped in the title deeds. Reishin had also apologized for manipulating Kijin into consummating their relationship that night. Kijin had felt a slight tremor in Reishin's body, had heard the desperate plea in Reishin's voice as he whispered his confession into Kijin's ear that he had never been comfortable in a male body.

Smiling, Kijin recalled his own panic on hearing Reishin's confession.

**[Flashback]**

**How was he supposed to react?**

**Fact : He fell in love with Reishin, the carefully cultivated, "orthodox" male version.  
****Fact : His physical response to Reishin had very ****much to do with Reishin's anatomy, **_**including **_**the parts that defined him as male!**

**To deny either of these two facts would be to deny his love for Reishin. But to affirm these two facts - would that hurt an already hurting Reishin? In the end, Kijin affirmed one fact, and denied the other**.

**Kijin, for once, was grateful for his super-responsive organ. The brief thought of Reishin's anatomy, plus the warmth of Reishin's body against his, had already brought about a partial erection. Kijin encouraged that response, leaning hard into Reishin.**

"**Do you feel that, Dumpling? Your body excites me. So it's a good thing for **_**me**_** that you have this body. And, it is also a good thing for **_**you. **_**Because, if you didn't have your male body, and I didn't get aroused, how are we going to be lovers?"**

**With his face buried in Kijin's shoulder, Reishin laughed weakly, clutching on to Kijin.**

"**As for what you do with your body, Reishin, it doesn't bother me. You can dress any which way you please. At the end of the day, I will still strip you!"**

**They both laughed. Kijin held Reishin tightly.  
"I will worship the body that you hate, and maybe that will help you get used to it."**

**Kijin's hands slid downwards.  
"Can I start now?"**

**Lying together after, Kijin reached for Reishin's hand, lacing his fingers through Reishin's.  
**"**The person I love, Dumpling, is just you, devoid of gender. It's the you that was open-minded enough to give a pervert a chance. It's the you that got into a fist-fight just so as to save my face. It's the you that trusted me implicitly. It's also the you that teased relentlessly, but always made it all worthwhile in the end."**

Smiling, Kijin looked at Reishin, contentedly having his body hair removed.  
_He's come a long way, in just two weeks._

He grinned.  
_MY credit, of course! _

The change in Reishin was subtle but it permeated every aspect of him. Right down to love-making.

[**Flashback**]

**It suddenly hit Kijin that Reishin had always been ill at ease when Kijin performed oral sex on him. He asked Reishin, and Reishin nodded, flushing and apologizing profusely.**

**Kijin was stunned. What must it be like to be pulled in two directions like that, to have your body enjoy the stimulation, but to be at the same time humiliated, because the very responsiveness of your body forces you to be too aware of the maleness that you hate. Reishin also told him that he had always avoided masturbating for the same reason. He only did it when he couldn't overcome the need, when his self-control lapsed.**

**Reishin desperately assured Kijin that everything else they did was not shadowed by this. In particular, that the problem did not exist when Kijin stimulated him with his hand while penetrating him, because the focus was not solely on his male genitalia.**

**Kijin's initial response to that dilemma was to stop focusing on Reishin's male genitalia altogether during sex. The next night, Kijin decided that doing so was counter-productive.**

"**You, Dumpling, are NOT to touch me in anyway, not even with your hot breath. Just watch."**

**Kijin positioned himself above Reishin, with his package hovering over Reishin's face, his knees in a kneeling position on either side of Reishin's head. He bent over at the waist, his elbows resting on the bed, his forearms brushing against Reishin's hips. Supporting himself on all fours, he performed oral sex on Reishin, using his breath, his lips, his teeth, his tongue, his mouth, his throat. Kijin's objective was different from all previous times. He was not just pleasuring his lover. He took his time, focusing on his own response as well.**

**Reishin watched the evidence of Kijin's arousal. It was surreal, to feel the sensations of Kijin's ministrations, and to see his own response mirrored, no, magnified, in the beautiful monster inches from his nose. Kijin's responses were so attuned with Reishin's that he came just a split second after Reishin did.**

Kijin smiled in recollection. Reishin had understood, he understood the point of Kijin's exhibitionistic display. After they both caught their breath, Reishin had whispered "thank you" as he snuggled against Kijin. Later that night, Reishin had told Kijin that it worked, that thinking about his own arousal in terms of what it did for Kijin made him feel better about his own body.

The change worked slowly, but worked it did. Two nights ago, Reishin did something that surprised and awed Kijin.

**[Flashback]**

**They were standing, kissing, still in their robes. Reishin broke off the kiss, looked into Kijin's eyes, put his hands on Kijin's shoulders, and applied enough downward pressure to make the message clear.**

**Kijin was not performing oral sex on Reishin. It was more like Reishin was using him. Reishin was aggressive, thrusting hard. Thrusting! That was the one thing Reishin had never done, ever.**

**Reishin withdrew and sank to his knees, shaking all over. Kijin looked in wonder at his lover. Reishin glowed. No, not the after-sex glow that he mentioned before, much better than that. Finally, Reishin had come to terms with his own anatomy. Finally, he did the one action that his body was designed to do, thrust with his penis. **

"Kijin?"

Kijin brought his mind back to the present. Aunt Chen was done. She bowed and left the room.

"You were 'gone' for a long time. What were you thinking of?"

"Your penis."

Reishin's brows rose.  
"Indeed! Why, thank you."

Kijin laughed. He was pleased. To be able to react so coolly and naturally to a direct reference to his male genitalia – this, indeed, was the new Reishin!

Reishin, still seated on the rosewood daybed, angled his head a little away from Kijin, and favoured him with a side-long glance beneath his hooded lids. Kijin felt the heat on his face. This side-long glance was one of the little mannerisms that surfaced after that lip-colour night.

Kijin loved them all, the subtle sashaying motion of the hips, the slight pouting of the lips, the arching of that graceful neck, the tossing of the head that sent the long silky moss-green hair back over one shoulder.

Kijin loved all of them, all these little Reishin-bits that became liberated. Reishin's behavior, in the privacy of their home, had become more feminine. And with his scarlet ear-studs, his red lip-colour, his unbound hair, he also _looked_ more feminine. But in coming to terms with his male body, he became sexually more masculine. Kijin found that this duality made Reishin even sexier. Kijin laughed at himself. As if he needed that, he was already grappling with his runaway libido before this!

Kijin loved the best of all, the seductive side-long glance. It sent delicious shivers all over him. He wondered if Reishin was aware of its potency.  
_He's doing it again!  
__Good grief! Is he trying to seduce me? In the middle of the afternoon?_

"Come check out Aunt Chen's handiwork, Kijin."  
Reishin, still seated on the rosewood daybed, spread his knees, allowing his silk robe to outline his curves.

Kijin stared at Aunt Chen's handiwork, at the petite moss-green triangle, at the neatly trimmed edges, marveling at her expertise in threading.  
"That's . . . adorable!"

Reishin purred.  
"Take your time. Today's our day-off."

Kijin, his head pulled gently but firmly into Reishin's lap, was decidedly pleased with this liberated Reishin.

**[The End]**

**

* * *

**

Notes :

**(1) I got the idea of writing about threading from a childhood memory of my paternal grandmother's friend from the same village in China. This friend of my granny, whom we address as "Grand Aunt" (as my granny and her are "village-sisters"), used to visit often. This Grand Aunt was immaculate, not a hair out of place, her samfu (Chinese ethnic clothes) always neatly pressed. She had threading done regularly – maybe that's why her complexion was so flawless!**

**(2) My description of the twisting action of the thread is based on my memory of threading.**

**(3) In northern China, girls used to get a threading right before the wedding. This first time ritual is called kai-lian, or "opening of the face". The removal of virgin facial hair signifies the end of immaturity and the beginning of womanhood. I found this information on the internet, but FFNet does not allow links. If you really ^_^ need to know more about the traditional practice of threading, you can email me for the link.**

**(4) Reishin's issue with his father regarding styling his hair in a top-knot, and the consequences of that defiance, are detailed in Brother Shoka.**

**(5) In Reishin's Spy, after almost two decades of being lovers, the issue of Reishin's gender identity makes another appearance.**


End file.
